Fate
by aomeanie
Summary: Aomine didn't throw the ball at the back of Kise's head, but will they still cross paths? [teikou!aokise, oneshot, au]


_They say fate…_

"Hah—hah… You're not going to score!"

_…Is something that is out of our control._

The sound of a basketball being dribbled resonated throughout the court in Teikou's gym. Breathing sporadically, Aomine swiftly got into a daunting defensive in front of the person that had possession of the ball. "I told you, I won't let you score," the power forward muttered between gasps as he kept his eye keenly on the bouncing ball. Sweat dripped down his face, and probed at the corners of his mouth as he waited for his opponent's next move. Throughout the whole match, a contented grin had been plastered on his face, and it only spread wider as the game grew more intense.

"Don't get cocky!" The other stated before finally making a swift movement to the left in attempt to bypass the blue-haired male. Aomine laughed. Because it was just what he had hoped his challenger would do.

Before the other could dribble his way past, Aomine abruptly swiped at the orange orb in a successful attempt to knock it out of his hands. After being intercepted, the ball dropped to the ground and began rolling at a remarkably quick speed towards the door. Being that the tanned male had been the one to knock it out, he willingly ran off to fetch it. He was a bit exhausted from the ongoing match, so he jogged languidly after the fleeing sphere as to preserve energy. The ball finally came to a halt once it rolled a few feet outside of the gym, and Aomine let out a subtle sigh as he reached down to reclaim it.

"Isn't he handsome?" A whisper was heard from one of his female classmates, and his cobalt orbs immediately snapped up in curiosity. Sure enough, they weren't talking about him. Instead, they were gazing off in the opposite direction where a rather tall blond in school uniform was walking. He seemed to be moping – his hands stuffed into the pockets of his slacks and a trivial slouch to his posture. Aomine found himself staring at the other male because he knew that person. Well… more like knew _of_ that person.

The famous model, Kise Ryouta.

He had heard a lot about the blond throughout the athletes, who claimed that he easily mastered whatever sport he touched. The blue-haired male had even looked through a few of the magazines he featured in out of probing inquisitiveness. People like Kise always peaked his interest. Aomine was always looking for a challenger who could put his skills to the ultimate test. And if that Kise Ryouta guy could master every sport, then he wanted to play him in basketball…

Aomine drew the ball behind his head a bit, as though he were planning to chuck the orb in the blond's direction. But he hesitated. A sudden surge of nervousness rushed through him, because he didn't know what he would say or do once the ball hits Kise. He didn't understand what it was he was feeling exactly, but his palms began to grow sweaty, and his heart thumped harshly against his ribcage. _Just throw the ball…_

"Hey! Aomine! Hurry up and get back in here so I can beat you."

Out of shock, the sphere slipped out of the tanned male's sweaty grip and bounced a few times on the pavement before he swiftly reached out to grasp it. Cobalt hues snap towards the other male that was impatiently calling after him with a slightly anxious look, and as an attempt to mask his startled expression, he forced a smile. "Sorry!" Aomine called out and began making his way back in the direction of the gym. He shot one last glance in Kise's direction with a slightly disappointed look, and then let all thoughts of the other male fade as he made his way back onto the court.

* * *

Teikou's basketball club had just entered and won their first tournament of the season, and everyone seemed to be rather enthusiastic about the fact. Because the players were undoubtedly good. The starting five players as well as the phantom sixth man were getting recognition inside and outside of the gym. Aomine, Kuroko, Murasakibara, Akashi, Midorima, and Haizaki had even been labeled as the "Generation of Miracles". A rather flashy title that caused Aomine to laugh at first, but he supposed after a while that the name had a nice ring to it.

Even with the high appraisal and countless victories, basketball started to get… boring – which was an odd thought for the power forward at first, because he loved the sport more than anything. But he found his eagerness for playing beginning to slowly fade as he began to realize that perhaps there was no one out there that could match his skill of basketball. He attempted to bury such burden thoughts in the back of his mind, because he didn't want to lose hope. At least not yet. They still had a whole season ahead of them, there was no telling what could happen next.

"Dai-chan, are you reading one of those gravure magazines again?" Satsuki poked at his side. He lifted his gaze up from the booklet and swiftly shut it closed as to conceal the pictures within it. The whole team focused their attention on him with curious glares, and Aomine let a nonchalant shrug roll off of his broad shoulders.

"Yeah."

"We're at school. At least have some dignity to wait until later to look at it…" The pink-haired manager muttered in a disappointed tone before averting her eyes back down to her lunch. Midorima pushed up his glasses before shaking his head disapprovingly, as though he were nonverbally instigating the situation.

The truth was, Aomine had been looking through last month's edition on Zunon Boy. Admitting to staring at boobs rather than flipping through a fashion magazine seemed to be a lot less embarrassing at that given time. He had purchased that issue specifically for the person that was featured in it. Kise Ryouta. Apparently, he was the model of the month, and they had a whole page dedicated to him and his sports career. Aomine found himself stumbling upon the model's work every now and then, and when he did, he wouldn't hesitate in buying the unnecessary publications.

Kise had a pretty face, much like a girl's. The way they did his make-up and styled his hair in most of the magazines didn't contribute in any way. Aomine would catch himself staring longingly at the images of the blond occasionally, and it would be an embarrassing realization when he'd come back to his senses. But it didn't stop him from buying the damn things, because just like with his gravure magazines, he found himself unusually fascinated in the model.

_Ah, how many magazines did he have with Kise on the cover now? Three…? Six…?Eight…_

"Aomine-kun. Is something on your mind?"

"Hm?" The tanned male snapped out of his momentary trance to see the icy glare of his shadow staring at him. As to avoid eye contact, he averted his gaze elsewhere and set his chin in the palm of his hand. "Oh, no. Just tired, is all."

Even with his gaze turned away, he could still feel the eyes of the other burning through his skin. It was almost as though the phantom could look into his soul. This made it difficult to lie to him, not that he lied to Tetsu often, but the few times that he tried never deemed successful.

"You know you can tell me if something is bothering you, right? I am here to listen," the monotone voice of the phantom spoke up once again after a few seconds of muteness. The power forward forced a small smile as to assure that things were simply fine, and although Tetsu didn't buy it, he let the topic slide with an aversion of his gaze.

The days went forth like that. Each day, Aomine could find his passion for basketball slipping further and further from his grasp and his usual cheerful demeanor began to dissipate. He'd keep telling himself that maybe next game there would be a worthy opponent, but each match only proved him wrong time and time again. More or less, he had no one to play with. What was it that he liked about basketball again? He couldn't remember; the game was all a blur to him. Practice was becoming tedious and the company of his teammates was becoming unbearable. Soon he found himself preferring isolation, and even walking home alone instead of waiting for Satsuki.

He was changing. Some would say for the worst, and he'd shrug off the thought because, in the end, he could care less. People change, and it can't be helped. Although, he liked to think that some aspects of him were still the same. Such as, he still enjoyed capturing small sea creatures, watching television, and sipping hot cocoa on cold days. On days where he would be lounging around, he still liked to pull a magazine from beneath his bed and stare at the provocative images of gravure idols. Sometimes he'd even pull out a magazine with Kise on the cover, because despite his changes, he still found an odd liking to the model.

Aomine had heard from the athletes and a few students that Kise was a star athlete, much like himself, but instead the blond was well known for his profound skills in soccer. He didn't know much about soccer, other than that it was a sport involving feet instead of hands. And he never really had an interest in it… that was until he discovered Kise's reputation in the game. So he secretly attended a few soccer matches just to witness how good the blond was, and even though he had no idea what was going on or what plays were being made, it was obvious that the model was talented.

They had a class together, although they sat on opposite sides of the room, and Kise was usually crowded by a group of girls. Aomine would catch himself stealing glances of the other and internally admiring how pretty he was. His lashes were long. Probably longer than any girl's he has seen. And each time Kise blinked, the curled hairs of his lids would flutter together in an enthralling way that only further hauled his attention.

Occasionally he would find himself regretting the fact that he never threw the basketball at the back of the blond's head, because then maybe that way he could have initiated a chance to introduce himself. As he was sitting in class one day, Aomine even contemplated chucking a pencil at him. Though, as he heaved the utensil behind his head in a readied position to throw it, the teacher snatched it out of his hand and demanded that he write "I will not throw school supplies in class" one-hundred times before the end of the period.

Another time, they had passed each other in the hallway, and Aomine turned around to chase after the blond, but before he could reach out to grab his arm, Murasakibara stepped amid them with a box of Pocky in hand. "Want one?" The tremendously tall male inquired innocently in a murmur.

There were times at lunch when he prepared himself to throw an apple at the model as to grasp his attention, but before the fruit could escape his palm, Satsuki would smack him upside the head and tell him that starting food fights would only get him in trouble.

Perhaps it was fate's way of saying that they weren't supposed to meet. So Aomine let fate take its course, and eventually had given up the amateur attempts in crossing paths with Kise.

He even stopped looking at his magazines.

As time went by, the tanned male found himself losing interest in not only basketball, but everything else as well. Not even Tetsu could cheer him up like he was usually able to. The adverse changes within him seemed to settle, and his effort in everything was beginning to fade. To think that he still had one more year left of basketball at Teikou made him cringe minimally. If he would have pondered the fact at the beginning of the school year, he might have smiled in excitement. Because he loved his teammates and the exhilarating feeling he got from playing. But with Aomine losing interest, and Haizaki's usual unruly behaviors, the team was slowly beginning to fall apart.

It was one of their few days off from practice, and Aomine decided to use the extra time to look through the media section of the magazine aisle. He had a certain actress in mind, though to his disappointment, it seemed that none of the issues had featured her on the cover that month. Bored of the selection, he decided that he would continue his search in gravure idol section… that was until his eye happened to catch the sight of a certain blond posing on the cover of Zunon Boy. It had been a while since he last looked through one, and he could feel his fingers eagerly twitching at his sides as he proceeded to admire the attractive figure on the magazine.

It wouldn't hurt to scan through it…

"So you're the famous basketball player Aomine_cchi_," an unfamiliar voice called from behind him. The blue-haired male instantly turned his gaze in the direction of the person speaking out with cobalt orbs wide with horror. The startled expression on his tanned features only grew more apparent upon seeing the model on the cover of Zunon Boy standing behind him. "I've been dying to meet you!"

_That was his line._

And for the first time, the two of them began talking.

Kise confessed to attending a few basketball games out of curiosity, and although Aomine had been the same way with him and soccer, he shamefully kept that bit to himself. Because it wasn't just that he was interested in Kise's talent; he was interested in Kise as a whole. Some would call it a "crush", and when the word would cross Aomine's mind, he would cringe because the blond wasn't a girl. He would internally acknowledge the evident fact that the other had a pretty face, and if it had been placed on a female's body, he'd be more than glad to concede his infatuation.

They talked for what seemed like hours in the small aisle of the store. Kise told him a bit about the sports he had played and how, in the end, they were all just a waste of his time. The two of them seemed to be similar in that aspect; having no one to challenge them, and easily losing interest when the games they played became unchallenging. At one point the blond asked, "If it's so boring, why don't you quit and try soccer?" The suggestion caused a brief scoff to escape his arid lips.

"Playing may not be the same anymore, but I still love basketball," was the power forward's response.

Aomine's answer seemed to interest the model, and with an indolent shrug of his shoulders, Kise stated, "Maybe I should try out basketball…"

So the tanned male agreed to teach the other how to play after school the next day. Aomine found himself smiling at the blond's animated personality, and he found himself liking more than just his appearance. It was easy to tell that he was excited about learning how to play a new sport because he was excessively adding the same peculiar suffix to the end of his sentence. Which was a bit aggravating at first, but after a while, Aomine found himself growing a liking to it. They discussed basketball for a bit longer before the blond claimed he had to go and bid his farewells.

And when Kise finally exited the store, Aomine purchased the newly displayed edition of Zunon Boy.

* * *

Kise was incredibly bad at basketball. Aomine couldn't help but laugh at all of the huge mistakes he would make, and the blond would turn around in frustration to forcefully chuck the ball at him. Aside from his inexperience, it seemed the blond was fast at learning. Faster than normal. By the end of the day, he had a proper shooting technique down and was even able to dribble the ball decently. And maybe he was going a bit crazy for thinking so, but it even seemed that he was beginning to pick up some of Aomine's moves…

Even with Kise's ingenuousness to the game, it was the first time in a while that the blue-haired male actually found himself having fun playing basketball. And it seemed to be the same for Kise as well. He enjoyed playing with him so much that they decided to play again the next day… and the day after that… and the day after that…

Soon weeks had passed and the both of them were able to get a steady match going. The blond understood the basics of the game well enough by then, and although he could never beat Aomine, he seemed to enjoy the challenge. Aomine would find himself smiling as the two of them played because, although it had only been a few weeks, Kise was surprisingly good. He found himself enjoying basketball just as he did before. After winning and having Kise unsuccessfully beg for another match, the two of them would sprawl out in the middle of the court and tell jokes. Sometimes Kise would laugh, and Aomine would stare at him indulgently, because he enjoyed the sound of the blond's happiness.

It was like finding his love for basketball all over again. Instead this time, it was a person he was discovering the feelings for.

"Aomine-kun, you seem happy today," the phantom claimed one day as they walked side-by-side on their way to practice. Aomine glanced over at his shadow with a peculiar look, and then shrugged as though he hadn't noticed the changes in his own attitude.

"Basketball is fun again."

That was what he'd tell himself every time he'd find himself grinning goofily at the thought of him and Kise playing. Basketball was fun again, that was all. Even if he did find the blond to be extremely pretty, or his personality to be extremely engaging… or the way he'd tuck his hair behind his ear to be appealing…

…

"Neh, Aomine_cchi. _If I make this shot, we have to play another game of one-on-one."

"Aren't you tired of losing, Kise?" Aomine stated in a teasing tone as he wiped the excess sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. "That's a boring bet."

"Eh? What do you mean that's a boring bet—?"

Aomine snatched the ball from Kise before he could finish his question. "If I make this shot without looking," he releases the orb from his hand with his eyes still set on the blond. "Then I get to kiss you."

"B-but… we're both boys…"

A loud _swoosh_ echoed throughout the empty gym as the ball successfully made its way through the net, and Kise's eyes widened as he realized what had just happened. It was as though he were confident that his shot was going to go in, that or he didn't actually care, because before the ball could even hit the floor, the tanned male had already pulled the other into a fervent kiss. Kise tensed up at first; his hands set objectively against power forward's chest as though he were planning to push him away. But to Aomine's surprise, he relaxed after a bit, and leaned in to further press their lips together.

"So?" He finally responded after having already stolen what he really wanted all that time.

After that day, he would kiss Kise more often. Sometimes, if Aomine felt like it, they'd kiss a lot after playing one-on-one. He liked the way the model's lips felt. They were soft, and molded perfectly against his own. The kisses between them were innocent – just gentle caresses, but they were enough to make the other blush. It was a sight that he adored, although the realization embarrassed him. So he'd bury such thoughts in the back of his mind before nudging Kise away with a satisfied grin. "Wanna play another game?"

* * *

As Aomine and Satsuki were walking to school, the pink-haired manager decided to question him as to who the "cute blond" was and why he was hanging out with him so much. She was observant, too observant for the power forward's taste, and although he refused to admit anything, she quickly caught on just by examining the subtle changes in his body language. He could tell by the content glint in her pink hues that she was excited for him, and it embarrassed him. So he averted his gaze and rubbed at the tip of his nose as though it was running, but really he wanted to hide the obvious fact that he was blushing.

"I like to play basketball with him," was all he would give her, but it was enough to confirm his adoration of the model.

It was ostensible that he enjoyed much more than just playing basketball with Kise and the thought frightened him. Because he had never dealt with such feelings before. It was all foreign, and he didn't know how to go about such things. He had managed to avoid the blond all day, because he was feeling a bit odd about everything that had been going on between them. Every time he thought of Kise, which was practically all the time, his stomach would do flips. They weren't bad flips, but sometimes he felt as though they would make him throw up, because the sensation was strong. He wasn't supposed have such sentiments towards another male, and there were moments where he wished he could hoard such feelings for a girl.

There was no ridding of feelings he felt towards Kise, because he was irrefutably in love. And he had been for the longest time. So if he couldn't rid of them, he would avoid them.

Much easier said than done, because that same day the two of them met after practice. It was the usual routine – they'd play a few rounds of basketball, each one being in Aomine's victory, and then lay out in the middle of the court drenched in sweat. The tanned male hadn't kissed Kise that day, and it was obvious that something seemed to be bothering him. Usually he'd be faintly flirting with or teasing the blond, but instead he was lying lifeless on the polished floor of the gym.

After resting in silence for a few minutes, Kise sat up and turned his gaze to Aomine before stating clearly, "Aomine_cchi. _I like you."

"I know, idiot. That's why we kiss."

A subtle shade of pink painted the model's cheeks, and he shifted a bit closer so that he could maintain better eye contact. "So you like me back?"

He hesitated, but eventually Aomine truthfully responded, "…Yeah."

"But, Aomine_cchi._ I _like_ you, like you."

It felt as though his heart stopped for a few seconds, and his breath hitched in the center of his throat. Because he had just decided that he would avoid such situations, yet it seemed the blond was attempting to trap him. He could feel an immense amount of heat rising to his face, and he threw an arm over his face as to hide the flustered expression creeping up on his tanned features.

_Dammit_.

He liked Kise too much for his own good, and the thought was causing his stomach to do flips again. A scoff emitted from his lips as he continued to cover his face with his forearm. There was no way in hell he could manage lying to Kise. He liked him… no, loved him too much, and although he decided he wanted to dispose of such feelings, he couldn't bring himself to do it with the other sitting right next to him.

Aomine slid his arm away from his face and brought his half-lidded gaze up to the blond slightly hovering over him. From there, he had a nice view of the model's faultless features, and he noted that, although he was a boy, Kise was his type. "I _like_ you, like you too."

Kise's eyes lit up and a wide grin spread on his soft lips upon hearing that the power forward reciprocated the feelings. There was nothing more than that goofy smile that Aomine liked. Knowing that the blond was content, and that he was the reason, caused his heart to flutter. Seeing that grin only reminded him of how much he actually loved Kise. And how much he wanted to be with him. Even if it was only for a couple of hours a day in a gym, he wanted to relish each living moment he was allowed to spend with him.

Avoiding emotions was the same as running from them. And he didn't want to run from the thing that made him most happy.

"So… can you kiss me, please?" The blond inquired shyly, and the rosy color tinted along his cheek bones brightened.

"No…" The blue-haired male stated sheepishly. "I want you to kiss me for once."

And with his appealing grin still spread upon his lips, Kise leaned down to passionately kiss Aomine.

_Fate wasn't something he wanted to control, anyways._

"Aomine_cchi, _let's play another game of one—"

"Eh? But we're kissing!"


End file.
